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Three dairy free carrot cake donuts on a white plate.

Dairy Free Carrot Cake Donuts

These dairy-free carrot cake donuts are perfectly spiced and baked to perfection, then topped with cream cheese frosting – yum!
Course Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword dairy free carrot cake donuts
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 donuts
Calories 370 kcal
Author Dairy Free for Baby

Ingredients

For the donuts:

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup almond milk (or any dairy-free milk)
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup finely grated carrots

For the frosting and topping (optional):

  • ¼ cup dairy-free cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp dairy-free butter, softened (i.e. Country Crock plant butter)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 6-count donut pan.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, almond milk, egg, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, along with the finely grated carrots. Stir until combined.

  5. Pour the batter into the donut pan. (It may be a little thick; use the back of a spoon to spread evenly in each section if necessary.)

  6. Bake at 350 degrees F on the center rack for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls clean from the donuts. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.

  7. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting: add the dairy-free cream cheese, dairy-free butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl to use with a hand mixer). Using the whisk attachment on the stand mixer (or hand mixer) start on low speed until the ingredients start to combine, then increase to high speed. Mix until light and fluffy.
  8. When the donuts have cooled completely, spread the frosting on the donuts. Top with the chopped nuts. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • If you’d prefer, you can skip the homemade frosting and use a store-bought dairy-free cream cheese frosting. You can also use a powdered sugar glaze instead of frosting too.
  • The dairy free butter and cream cheese must be softened (not melted and not hard from the fridge) to achieve the right frosting texture.
  • If the donut batter seems too thick, add an extra splash of almond milk. Sometimes packing the flour into the measuring cup (instead of spooning and leveling it) can lead to this, but an extra splash of almond milk will achieve the right texture.

Nutrition analysis (approximate per donut with frosting and nuts): 370 calories, 19.5 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 300 mg sodium, 45.5 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fiber, 31 g sugar, 3.5 g protein, Vitamin D: 1%, Calcium: 4%, Iron: 7%, Potassium: 2%